Mar 16, 2022

A deepfake of South Korea’s new president helped propel him into office. Yoon Suk-yeol, who won the country’s March 9 election, campaigned using videos that featured an AI-generated likeness of himself answering voters’ questions.

Lose too much money at Texas hold ’em, and you may get an AI-generated warning. Casinos and gaming websites are using machine learning to flag gamblers who show signs of addictive behavior.

Neural networks may help farmers make sure their animals are happy. Researchers led by Elodie Briefer and Ciara Sypherd at University of Copenhagen developed a system that interprets the moods behind a pig’s grunts and squeals.

When you’re training a neural network, it takes a lot of computation to optimize its weights using an iterative algorithm like stochastic gradient descent. Wouldn’t it be great to compute the best parameter values in one pass? A new method takes a substantial step in that direction.

Last week, I wrote about the grand challenge of artificial general intelligence. Other scientific and engineering grand challenges inspire me as well. For example, fusion energy, extended lifespans, and space colonization have massive...

Last week, I wrote about the grand challenge of artificial general intelligence. Other scientific and engineering grand challenges inspire me as well. For example, fusion energy, extended lifespans, and space colonization have massive potential to remake civilization (for good or ill).